


Tipsy Winks

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:45:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7877104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every year Natsuya and Nao make time between their birthdays to celebrate together. And every year Natsuya doesn't hold his drinks quite as well as Nao does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tipsy Winks

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Nao's birthday. This is set several years post-ES, with the two of them already in a relationship.

It was close to midnight on 23rd August. Exactly how close, Natsuya wasn't sure, since there wasn't a clock in the kitchen and he'd abandoned his phone somewhere in the living room. Quite possibly it had slipped down the back of the sofa by now, but he could worry about that tomorrow. All he knew was that he had to stay up until after midnight at least, because as best he and Nao could manage, that time was the halfway point between their two birthdays.

Celebrating it that way had become a routine for them, because it just worked out easier. When Natsuya's birthday rolled around on the 20th, his family would usually want to do something with him and Nao respected that enough to give them space for it. And when it got to Nao's birthday on the 27th he... well, Natsuya wasn't sure exactly what he did. Even after so many years, Nao didn't talk about his family situation. But regardless, the two of them had agreed that midnight between the 23rd and 24th worked best for them to be together. And they did very definitely value their time together.

“I'm getting some water, if you want any,” Nao called, from over by the sink.

“Nah, I'm fine,” dismissed Natsuya.

He knew what Nao was implying, but he was too stubborn to admit defeat. Even if it did go the same way every year – they'd have a few drinks, Nao handled them better than Natsuya did and before Natsuya knew it he'd dozed off on the sofa, unable to remember if he'd made it to midnight or not. Nao always assured him that he did, but part of Natsuya wondered if he just said that to be nice.

But not this year. This year, Natsuya would manage. He'd been pacing himself all evening.

“If you're sure,” Nao said.

“I'm sure as sure,” Natsuya firmly told him.

Nao chuckled, “What does that even mean?”

“It means... it means I'm staying here in the kitchen, okay?” Natsuya replied, as if that was any sort of explanation at all.

“But it's much nicer through in the living room,” reasoned Nao.

“You mean on the sofa, where I might fall asleep?” Natsuya snorted.

“It doesn't matter if you do,” Nao assured him.

“It does matter though. I'm not doing that again this year. I promised myself,” said Natsuya.

Nao raised an eyebrow at him; “You're already drunk, you know.”

“I am not. I'm tipsy at best,” huffed Natsuya.

“If you say so,” Nao hummed.

He walked across the kitchen and Natsuya watched him carefully. After years of being together, Natsuya had long since learned that it was best to keep an eye on Nao. He was trickier than he let on, which anyone who knew him well could tell you.

However, all he did was reach for one of the bottles on the side and pop the cap open, before setting it back down to let the icy steam rise out from the top. At first Natsuya assumed he was having another drink himself, but that didn't seem to be the case. Instead he set the bottle cap down on the table and gestured for Natsuya to come over.

“Why do you want to do that now?” Natsuya asked. Though he did go across to the table, like Nao wanted.

“A little wager wouldn't hurt, right? Not on tonight of all nights,” Nao replied.

“I knew it. Go on then, what are we betting?” said Natsuya.

“Isn't it obvious? If I win then you go rest on the sofa, before you pass out in the middle of the kitchen and I have to carry you there anyway,” Nao answered.

There was a frown from Natsuya. Even when they were both sober, Nao was almost unbeatable at the bottle cap game. In all the years that he'd know him, Natsuya could count the amount of times someone had slapped it away before Nao could on one hand and still have fingers to spare. Certainly Natsuya had never managed it.

Having said that, it wasn't as if Nao hadn't had anything to drink either. You'd never tell to look at him, but Natsuya had counted at least three empty bottles that weren't his own. If he had a chance of beating Nao at any time, then it was now.

“All right then. In that case, if I win we stay in the kitchen. And I will make it until after midnight,” he said. That last part added just in case there was any doubt.

Nao nodded and smiled. He then walked around to the opposite side of the table to Natsuya, grin never leaving his face as he moved.

“On three?” he said.

“One...” Natsuya started.

“Two...” Nao followed.

“Three!” they both yelled.

As soon as the word had left Natsuya's mouth, he moved to slap the bottle cap away. But he'd never stood a chance. It was already flying across the room, while Nao smiled at him wickedly.

“Best of three!” Natsuya insisted.

“Very well...”

It made no difference, however. On the second attempt he only managed to clip the side of Nao's hand, which he hurriedly apologised for, but Nao just seemed to find it amusing. After that he went for a best of five, which he again lost. Then a best of seven. Best of nine. Best of... well, he wasn't exactly sober enough to keep up with the maths. But the fact of the matter was that he kept losing, no matter how many times Nao humoured him.

“I'm done...” he sighed, after far too long.

“Glad to hear it,” Nao chimed. There wasn't a single hint of smugness to his voice, but Natsuya knew it was there regardless.

“Off to the living room we go then,” Natsuya said, watching at Nao went to retrieve the bottle cap from where it had landed for the last time.

“Do you need a hand?” checked Nao, once he'd stood up again.

“No- ...Yes. I don't know...?”

He didn't object when Nao came over and put his arm around him, steadying him as the two of them walked through to the next room. As much as he'd complained about it, Natsuya was glad to see the sofa when he was lowered down onto it. And he made sure to keep hold of Nao, pulling him down so that they could snuggle together.

“Next year I'll make it,” Natsuya vowed.

“I don't know what you're complaining about, it's already after midnight,” said Nao, with a nod towards the clock.

“Will I remember it though? I don't want to wake up at three in the afternoon with no idea how the evening went,” Natsuya replied.

“Don't worry, I'll be sure to give you the play-by-play of our bottle cap battle. And besides, you won't sleep in that late anyway, Ikuya's coming over at ten. You wouldn't want him to be disappointed in you,” Nao teased.

The response he got him Natsuya was an almighty groan.

“I'd forgotten all about that... Why did it have to be tomorrow?” he whined.

“Because that's when you arranged for him to come over,” reminded Nao, “Don't worry, I'll be sure to have you up in good time.”

“I don't know if you're cruel or kind” Natsuya laughed.

“Probably both,” confirmed Nao.

“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Natsuya agreed, “But we can worry about tomorrow when it comes. Right now I'd rather just sit here with you...”

“No objections there,” Nao said.

He watched as Natsuya opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again. His eyes were already closed and, if he hadn't already, then it wouldn't be long before he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Whether he did or didn't remember by the next morning wasn't what was important to Nao. To him what mattered was that every year Natsuya made it and they got to be together. Besides, getting to watch Natsuya sleep for a while before Nao joined him was always a bonus, too.


End file.
